Textile guide roll structure, particularly for drawing machines



April 30, 1968 J. STEICHELE 3,330,138

TEXTILE GUIDE ROLL STRUCTURE, PARTICULARLY FOR DRAWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 22, 1966 INVENTOR.

United States Patent Otfice 3,380,138 Patented Apr. 30, 1968 3,380,138 TEXTILE GUIDE HULL STRUCTURE, PARTICU- LARLY FOR DRAWING MACHINES Joseph Steichele, Stuttgart-Weilimd'orf, Germany, as-

signor to SKF Kugelagerfabriken Gesellschaft rnit beschrankter Haftung, Schweinfurt, Germany, a company of Germany Filed Dec. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 603,938 7 Claims. (Cl. 29-116) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLQSURE A roller for guiding textiles such as sliver which is to be drawn into a roving. The roller includes an outer onepiece tubular housing of cylindrical configuration having an exterior adapted to be engaged by the textile material which is to be worked, this tubular housing being formed at its inner surface with annular grooves which directly form the outer races for antifraction bearing elements, and the tubular housing being enlarged at least one end where it has an outwardly flaring, frusto-conical portion which is integral with the remainder of the tubular housing, the entire tubular housing being formed from a single section of pipe.

The invention relates to textile guiding rollers, such as rollers of the type used in drawing machines for drawing sliver into rovings. In particular, the present invention relates to a roller of this type which has an exterior freely rotatable housing part which is provided at least at one end with an outwardly flaring enlargement.

In the working of synethtic fibers, the fibers receive during the drawing operations the desired strength. The drawing of the fibers takes place in drawing machines which in general include guide rollers for the fibers which are in the form of sliver fed to the drawing machines to be formed into rovings. The sliver is wound a number of times around the guide roller and is drawn to a predetermined extent. As a result of the strength of the fibers it is possible to operate at high operating speeds, with the result that high tension and high speeds of rotation for the individual elements which work on the textiles require special measures in their construction. This applies particularly to the sliver guiding rollers which in part are required to maintain very high tension in the fibers while at the same time remaining easily rotatable.

With known textile guiding roller construction of this type, the outer rotary housing part of the roller is supported for rotary movement by bearings which include outer and inner races, these bearings being primarily ball bearings where the outer races are fitted into recesses of corresponding tolerance formed in the rotary housing. The inner races of the bearings are mounted on a suitable supporting shaft having suitable seats for the inner races. A pair of these bearings are in general situated at a given distance from each other with a suitable spacer sleeve situated therebetween to maintain the required distance between the bearings.

Constructions of this general type require very high manufacturing accuracy and a predetermined wall thickness for the outer rotary housing part of the roller, so that when the outer race rings of the bearings are fitted into the outer housing part there will be no permanent deformation thereof. On the other hand there is the danger that the bearing play, which is determined during assembly of the roller components, and thus the assurance of an easy rotatability of the roller is undesirably influenced by the tolerances which are too narrow, so that the proper functioning of the roller, particularly with respect to the required easy rotatability thereof, is not guaranteed. During starting of such textile guide rollers which are difficult to set into rotation it is easily possible for breakage of the fibers to occur, so that the economy of the operation of the machine is very unfavorably influenced. Moreover, the manufacturing costs for textile guide rollers of this type are rendered relatively high because of the necessary machining of the outer rotary housing part of the roller and the required labor for assembling the components of the roller.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a textile guiding roller of the above general type which will avoid the above drawbacks.

In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide for a roller of this type, rotary components of relatively light weight and high strength, as well as easy rotatability.

In addition, it is an object of the invention to provide a roller construction which has a relatively low manufacturing cost.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a roller construction which requires very little maintenance and which can be very easily lubricated.

In accordance with the invention, the roller assembly includes an outer rotary housing part which is composed of a single section of pipe and thus made up in its entirety of a one-piece construction, this housing part having an exterior cylindrical surface to be engaged by the textile materials which are to be worked and being formed at its interior, directly at its inner surface, with annualar grooves which directly form outer races for antifriction bearing bodies. At least at one of its ends the one-piece pipe section, which forms the outer housing of the roller of the invention, is enlarged, as by being flared outwardly, so that it has a frustoconical configuration at this one end, and the outwardly flaring enlargement is integral with the remainder of the one-piece tubular outer housing of the roller of the invention.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings which form part of this application and in which:

FIG. 1 shows, in a longitudinal sectional view, one possible embodiment of a textile guiding roller of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows, in longitudinal section, another embodiment of a roller according to the invention; and

FIG. 3 shows, in longitudinal section, a third embodiment of a textile guiding roller construction according to the invention.

In the drawings there is illustrated, in dot-dash lines, a machine part 1, which forms part of the stationary frame of the machine and to which one end of a stationary shaft 2 is fixed, as by means of a set screw 3. The free end portion 2 of the shaft 2 is formed with a pair of exte- :rior annular grooves 4 which form the inner races for antifriction bearing bodies, such as the ball members 5. These antifriction bearing bodies 5 extend into outer races 6 in the form of a pair of inner annular grooves respectively aligned with the grooves 4 and formed at the inner surface of a one-piece outer tubular housing part 7 which has an exterior cylindrical surface adapted to be engaged by the textile material which is to be worked and which is formed from a single pipe section so as to have the one-piece construction indicated in the drawing. Thus, the distance between the races 6 corresponds to the distance between the races 4, and in this way a predetermined distance is maintained between the ball bearings which are formed by these races and the ball members 5.

At its end which is directed toward the stationary frame part 1 of the machine, the outer housing component 7 of the roller of the invention has a frustoconical enlargement 8 which, by means of a suitable tool, is formed integral with the remainder of the one-piece tubular housing part 7, this outwardly flaring part 8 being spread outwardly from the remainder of the tube 7, so that a completely one-piece construction is maintained for the outer housing part 7 of the roller assembly of the invention.

In the region of the frustoconical enlargement 8 of the housing part 7, the stationary shaft 2 carries a sealing ring 9 the dimensions of which are such that there is defined between the inner surface of the frustoconical enlargement 8 and the sealing ring 9 a gap 10 for sealing lubricant in the interior of the roller assembly.

In order to seal the bearings, whose ball members and situated in cages 5, a pair of sealing means are carried by the housing 7 in the interior thereof for rotary movement therewith, and one of these sealing means takes the form of a suitable sealing ring 11 which, due to its own inherent resiliency, can be snapped into a suitable groove formed at the interior of the tubular housing part 7 so as to be fixed to the latter surrounding a groove formed in the shaft 2 and spaced from the shaft 2 while rotating with the housing 7. The other sealing means takes the form of a covering disc 12, made also of a yieldable elastic material such as a suitable stretchable resilient plastic or the like, and for the purpose of closing off the interior of the tubular part 7 the covering disc 12 extends completely across an open end thereof which is situated beyond the extremity of the shaft 2 which is situated in the interior of the tubular housing part 7.

A hollow needle 13 of a lubricant-supplying syringe is adapted to be received at its tip in a depression 14 formed centrally at the exterior surface of the elastic cove 12, so that the syringe needle 13 can pierce through the, cover 12 to have access to the interior of the tubular housing 7 to supply lubricant thereto. During the actual supply of lubricant the cover 12 presses against the exterior of the needle 13 so as to provide a fluid-tight seal therewith, while the place through which the needle pierced will, after removal of the needle 13, automatically close itself so that the entrance of impurities into the interior of the assembly is reliably avoided. FIG. 2 shows the hollow needle 13 in its position of feeding lubricant to the interior of the assembly.

In the embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in FIG. 2 the rotary tubular housing part 17 has a pair of frustoconical enlarged portions 8 and 8' arranged one next to the other and coact with the sealing ring 9 carried by the shaft 2 so as to define therewith the annular sealing gaps and 10'. The arrangement of the bearing bodies 5 as well as the bearing races 6 and 4 is the same as that described above in connection with FIG. 1.

In FIG. 3 there is shown a textile guiding roller according to the invention where the rotary one-piece tubular housing part 27 is provided at both ends with outwardly flaring, integral enlargements 8 of frustoconical configuration which, as was pointed out above, are formed by application of a suitable tool to the one-piece pipe section which forms the housing 27 which in its interior is formed with the annular grooves which directly serve as outer races for the antifriction bearing elements. The sealing of the outwardly flaring enlargements is provided by means of sealing rings 9" and 11 as well as by the sealing means formed by the cover 12 which enables subsequent lubrication to be applied in the manner described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus, the springe needle 13 is applied through the cover 12 of FIG. 3 in the manner shown in FIG. 2. The sealing ring 9" is provided at its outer periphery with a lip 19 which extends to the right, as viewed in FIG. 3, beyond the outer free edge of the left enlargement 8 of FIG. 3, so that there is defined between the sealing ring 9" and the left enlargement 8 a sealing gap 10" for the lubricant. In order to fix the shaft 2" of FIG. 3 to the housing frame part 1, there is shown in FIG. 3 a suitable nut 18 which is threaded directly onto the left end of the shaft 2".

Of course, certain variations are included in the in vention, particularly with respect to the choice of the bearing structure and the corresponding construction of the shaft. For example, instead of ball bearings it is possible to have roller or needle bearings. Also, the roller construction of the invention can fullfill other textile treatment purposes than those referred to above. In all cases, however, the outer cylindrical textile-engaging rotary part of the assembly of the invention is formed from a single pipe section and has a one-piece construction so that the advantages of small rotary masses, easy rotatability, high strength and low maintenance as well as low manufacturing costs will be fully retained.

Thus, with the structure of the invention it is possible to utilize a relatively thin-walled pipe section while at the same time maintaining a high strength, by using the one-piece pipe section itself to form the outer races. These outer races may be worked into the inner surface of the one-piece tubular housing of the roller assembly of the invention in any suitable way, or they may be ground into the inner surface thereof. The outwardly flaring end or ends of the outer tubular housing can be provided by sperading the end or ends of the tubular housing with any suitable tool. Thus, the necessity of machining operations are completely eliminated, and at the same time the maintenance of small rotary masses is assured, with these rotary masses being as small a possible since the diameter of the rotary housing components, from the standpoint of the bearing structure, can be maintained quite small inasmuch as additional outer and inner rings which form the outer and inner races of the bearings are eliminated.

On the other hand, it is possible to provide a construction where the outer dimensions of conventional guide rollers are maintained, thus producing with the structure of the invention a correspondingly larger diameter for the rotary tubular housing part and thus for the outer races of the bearings, so that the rotary properties of the structure are very favorably influenced and also its load-carrying capacity is increased. In particular with repsect to the enlarged end or ends required during application of the textile to the guide roller, because of the great strength of the material used for the outer housing part, diificulties encountered in manufacturing the latter are avoided and also relatively large enlargements can be provided without any danger of forming cracks in the material.

In order to provide a simple construction for the guide roller of the invention, the inner races for the antifriction bearing bodies are formed directly on the stationary shaft which is surrounded by the outer rotary housing. The roller assembly of the invention can be assembled with the machine as a pre-manufactured and preliminarily assembled unit with the play of the bearing accurately predetermined by reason of the corresponding matching of the diameters of the outer races to those of the inner races and the diameters of the ball members, so that it is possible to maintain predetermined operating conditions with low maintenance. Furthermore, the structure of the invention makes it possible to use oil as a lubricant and guarantees in this way the easy starting of the rotary movement of the roller, as is required in practice, while at the same time eliminating any difliculties during intense acceleration.

By reason of the possibility of adding lubricant by piercing through the elastic outer covering disc with the syringe needle, the lubrication of the roller assembly of the invention, subsequent to the initial mounting thereof on the machine, is easily carried out While at the same time the interior of the assembly is sealed after the syringe needle is withdrawn. This latter sealing, of course, takes place automatically.

I claim:

1. In a textile-guiding roller to be used in a drawing machine for drawing sliver into rovings, an elongated one- Piece tubular ho s g of cylindrical configuration having an exterior surface which is adapted to be engaged by the textile material which is to be worked, said elongated tubular housing being formed from a single section of pipe and being formed at its interior surface with annular grooves which form outer races for antifriction bearing bodies, said housing having at least one enlarged end of substantially frustoconical configuration flaring outwardly from the remainder of said tubular housing and being integral therewith.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a stationary shaft extends into and is surrounded by said tubular housing, and said shaft being formed at its exterior with annular grooves respectively aligned with said grooves at the interior of said housing and forming inner races for said antifriction bearing bodies.

3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a stationary shaft extends into and is surrounded by said tubular housing, and a sealing ring carried by said stationary shaft, surrounded at least in part by said frustoconical end and defining with the latter a sealing gap for lubricant within said housing.

4. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a pair of sealing means are carried by said tubular housing in the interior thereof with said grooves situated between said pair of sealing means, said pair of sealing means rotating together with said housing and forming lubricant seals therefor.

5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein one of said sealing means extends across an open end of said tubular housing and is made of an elastic yieldable material formed at its exterior with an identation for receiving an end of a hollow syringe needle used for supplying lubricant to the interior of the housing when the needle pierces through said latter sealing means at said indentation thereof.

6. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a stationary shaft extends into the interior of and is surrounded by said housing, said shaft carrying a sealing ring surrounded by said frustoconical end and spaced therefrom to define a lubricant-sealing gap therewith, and said housing carrying in its interior a pair of sealing means which rotate together with said housing and between which said grooves of said housing are situated, said pair of sealing means forming lubricant seals for the interior of said housing and said shaft being formed with a pair of exterior annular grooves respectively aligned with said grooves of said housing and forming inner races for the antifriction bearing elements.

7. The combination of claim 6 and wherein one of said sealing means is in the form of an elastic deformable disc situated beyond a free end of said shaft and extending across an open end of and closing said open end of said tubular housing, said disc being formed at its exterior with an indentation for receiving an end of a hollow needle of a lubricant syringe, said needle being adapted to pierce through said disc at said indentation thereof for supplying lubricant to the interior of said tubular housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,587,627 3/ 1952 Kaulfman.

2,750,634 6/ 1956 Stahlecker et a1 291 16 3,212,168 10/1965 Sommer 29-116 3,345,722 10/ 1967 Stahlecker 291 16 BILLY J. WILHITE, Primary Examiner. 

